President Nicolas Maduro has claimed Donald Trump has ordered the Colombian government and mafia to assassinate him, as a mystery Russian jet landed in Venezuela this week 'to ship out gold from the central bank'.
Maduro said that he has no doubt that the president 'gave the order to Colombia to kill me' and that if something happens to him 'Donald Trump will be responsible'.
Despite his hard line against Trump, Maduro said he is willing to negotiate with Juan Guaido, who was recognized as president by the US and most Western nations as of last week.
Meanwhile, a Russian chartered Boeing 777 - carrying just two crewmembers and no passengers - landed in Caracas, allegedly to carry 20 tons of gold from the Central Bank of Venezuela out of the country.
President Trump also urged Americans not to travel to Venezuela amid the mounting tensions, echoing his State Department's warning that the country is unstable.
Claims: Nicolas Maduro (pictured on Tuesday) said that he has no doubt that President Trump has given an order to the Colombian government - and its mafia - to assassinate him
Mystery plane: A passenger jet from Russian company Nordwind is seen at Simon Bolivar Airport in Caracas, Venezuela
He also said in a tweet on Wednesday morning that the stringent US sanctions placed on Venezeula and the fact he had cut off oil revenue were the reason why Maduro was considering negotiating with the opposition.
Venezuelan MP Jose Guerra, a former head of research at the Central Bank, took to twitter to claim the plane had been chartered to spirit away $840million worth of gold, but offered no concrete evidence to back his claims.
The Nordwind Airlines flight travelled from Moscow to Caracas on Monday, despite the commercial travel company not offering any flights from Russia to Venezuela.
The Venezuelan government has denied that there is a Russian plane at Simon Bolivar International Airport and Russia's Foreign Ministry said it has no information about the charter jet, according to South China Morning Post.
Maduro's remarks in an interview with Russian state-owned RIA Novosti news agency on Wednesday came amid a dire political crisis in Venezuela.
'Without a doubt, Donald Trump gave the order to kill me, told the Colombian government, the Colombian mafia, to kill me,' Maduro said.
'If something happens to me, Donald Trump and Colombian President Ivan Duque will be responsible.'
President Trump also warned Americans not to travel to Venezuela amid the mounting tensions. He also
Military backing: President Nicolas Maduro and Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino, left, are seen taking part in a ceremony during military exercises at the Libertador Air Base in Maracay, Aragua state, Venezuela, on Tuesday
Maduro counts on the support of the military, and is unlikely to back down unless that changes
Maduro is seen addressing troops during a military exercise at the Libertador Air Base in Maracay, Aragua state, Venezuela
His comments came just hours after White House national security adviser John Bolton was seen on TV holding a notepad containing the note '5,000 troops to Colombia', which neighbours Venezuela.
Video footage shared on social media earlier today allegedly shows armoured Colombian Army vehicles near the border with Venezuela, however their purpose is not yet known.
Maduro, who spent Tuesday taking part in military exercises at an air force base, also told Ria Novosti that he is 'willing to sit down for talks with the opposition for the sake of Venezuela's peace and its future'.
